Settlements and Verdicts

Two clients, a father and a daughter, were involved in a high speed wreck with a landscaping truck near the Goose Creek Walmart. At first, the liability carrier denied coverage on the truck and driver, who drove in excess of 120 mph away from police on a merry chase. He struck my clients and caused catastrophic damage and injuries. After a year and half of litigation, Liberty Mutual conceded in mediation that the driver was a permissive user. We obtained a seven figure verdict for my clients. We are thrilled with the result and happy clients.

We resolved a three-year battle against a Berkeley County HOA. My client fell and hurt himself badly. He broke his left arm and damaged his neck. He could no longer be an Emergency Room physician afterward. The settlement was for close to 1 million dollars. It was due to the worst walking path in all of existence, with up to 5 5-inch variance in uniformity of elevation. It was only until we settled that they repaired the path.

It was one of the rare occasions that the West Ashley Bridge was open. A woman on her way home from work sat in the far left lane of traffic waiting for the bridge to open. When it did, everyone naturally accelerated on their way. This included a man in a Porsche eager to get where he was going. All the way in the right lane, was a T-Rex front-loading cement truck.

A confluence of events brought these three vehicles together. My client was the only one who didn't break the law intended to prevent traffic accidents. As the Porsche accelerated past my client, the cement truck driver realized at the last minute he was headed toward Lockwood Boulevard. So the cement truck driver crossed three lanes of traffic in a thirty-two foot long vehicle, right into the lane the Porsche occupied.

The Porsche tried to avoid the worse of two evils by veering into my client's lane. A three car collision ensued. My client's vehicle was suspended in air. She suffered a significant back injury as a result.

Two years, a discectomy, a lumbar fusion and $250,000.00 in medical bills later, it was time for the defendants to pay. Naturally, they pointed the finger at one another.

We sued them both. Four years, two defendants, six depositions, and two mediations later, my client walked away with almost six hundred thousand dollars. Score one for the good guys.

Our firm successfully secured a global settlement of $500,000.00 for our client after a contentious, five-year litigation process involving three separate claims. The incident occurred at the Charleston Port when a “yard dog” (trailer jockey) operator struck our client, an employee checking security papers, with a 40,000-pound container. The container impacted the small security hut our client was standing in.

We were able to resolve the third-party case before a judicial ruling on the “borrowed servant” issue, securing an additional $300,000.00 from the corporation and the driver.

The total recovery of $500,000.00 was a great outcome for our client, demonstrating our ability to successfully navigate complex, multi-jurisdictional workers' compensation and third-party liability cases.

A young man was struck by a flying shard of metal from a defective Honda airbag. EMS advised leaving the shard in the throat to prevent the young man from bleeding out. Forty-five minutes went by. Finally, they took him to the emergency room where he underwent emergency surgery. It was touch and go. The metal shard nicked the carotid artery. Ultimately, the young man recovered, but with an unsightly scar on his neck. He was only eighteen years old. With another firm, we obtained a settlement from Honda. The settlement with Takata, the maker of the defective airbag, is ongoing. Honda knew of the defective part for ten years and did nothing.

It was the worst Christmas Eve ever. The defendant was speeding when he crashed into my client in a residential area. The defendant couldn't remember what happened.

My client's injuries required lower back fusion. After two years of litigation, The Hartman Law Firm won the car accident injury claim from the underinsured carrier.

My client fully recovered and helped her grandchildren with a college fund.

A commercial vehicle struck my client from behind at a high rate of speed. He suffered a permanent cervical injury and a shoulder injury that required surgery. The surgeries and the recovery time required afterward also added to the delay.

In the end, we secured a settlement of approximately $300,000.00 for my injured client. It is a good feeling to take from corporations and give the money back to regular Americans. It is a privilege to do so for the people of South Carolina.

The driver of a stolen car weaved through traffic and lost control of the vehicle. He careened into a ditch and then broadsided my client, who suffered a torn rotator cuff. He required extensive surgery.

The Defendant was uninsured, but we got all the coverage we could on this claim from the carrier.

After months of physical therapy, my client regained almost all range of motion.

Another horrible DUI wreck. My client was a passenger in the car. The defendant was driving while under the influence of alcohol. He crossed the yellow line and struck the oncoming vehicle.

After winning $150,000 in financial compensation, my client paid off his house.

My client sustained shoulder injuries in a horrible DUI car wreck. The damage required surgery and months of painful recovery. The defendant was so intoxicated he blew a 0.20 BAC.

This alcohol-related auto collision claim resulted in an award of $75,000. My client used his settlement to buy a house.